Jeff Tollefson is always ready to switch gears and step up to a new challenge. In the 1990s, Tollefson co-founded Crescendo Ventures, an early-stage VC firm with a focus on tech. Under his watch, Crescendo grew into a $1.1 billion enterprise with offices in Minneapolis, London, and Palo Alto, California. Tollefson left Crescendo in 2007 to launch Genesys Works, a nonprofit social enterprise company aimed at helping high school students from low-income families develop job skills. He took the reins of the Minnesota High Tech Association in 2019. His aim? Developing a better tech workforce, especially among underrepresented populations.